The New Covenant Has Better Promises
We may be tempted to think that the new covenant has “better prom-
ises” in the sense that it has greater rewards than the old covenant had
(a heavenly homeland, eternal life, etc.). The truth is that God offered
the same rewards to Old Testament believers as He has offered us (read
Heb. 11:10, 13–16). In Hebrews 8:6, the “better promises” refer to dif-
ferent kinds of promises.
The covenant between God and Israel was a formal exchange of
promises between God and Israel. God took the initiative and deliv-
ered Israel from Egypt and promised to lead them into the Promised
Land.
Compare Exodus 24:1–8 and Hebrews 10:5–10. What are the simi­
larities and differences between these two promises?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
The covenant between God and Israel was ratified with blood. This
blood was sprinkled both over and beneath the altar. The people of
Israel promised to obey all that the Lord had spoken.
“The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,—just
what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents,—perfect obedi-
ence to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted
on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe
would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe
and misery, to be immortalized.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 62.
God satisfies the absolute demands of the new covenant for us
because He gave His own Son to come and live a perfect life so that the
promises of the covenant might be fulfilled in Him, and then offered to
us, by faith in Jesus. Jesus’ obedience guarantees the covenant promises
(Heb. 7:22). It first requires that God give Him the blessings of the
cove­nant, which are then given to us. Indeed, those who are “in Christ”
will enjoy those promises with Him. Second, God gives us His Holy
Spirit to empower us to fulfill His law.
Christ has satisfied the demands of the covenant; therefore, the
fulfillment of God’s promises to us is not in doubt. How does
this help you understand the meaning of 2 Corinthians 1:20–22?
What wonderful hope is found here for us?